Introduction
This book is intended for beginning and intermediate learners of
Arabic. You could be studying in a group or by yourself. Either way,
you should find this book an essential and accessible introduction to
Arabic verbs and grammar and a helpful on-going reference.
We are assuming a basic knowledge of the Arabic script as it is not
possible to teach this skill within the parameters of this guide.
However, to help you we have also included transliteration
throughout, using a simplified system (see Appendix (i), page 124).
Arabic Verbs and the Essentials of Grammar aims to make Arabic
grammar more understandable by presenting it in an accessible
style. This guide covers most of what you will need to know about
Arabic verbs during your study of modern Arabic, and also provides
a useful summary of the main grammar points.
This is a study aid rather than a course. However, there is progression
in the two main parts of the book, or you can simply dip in to brush
up on a particular area.

Verb Index
This second edition also includes a comprehensive Verb Index
listing 400 high-frequency Arabic Verbs (including all those in this
book). The index will enable you to look up individual verbs in
Arabic or English alphabetical order and find out their
pronunciation, root letters and type. You will then be able to
reference them to the relevant sections in this book. Not only this,
you will also gain a better insight into how the Arabic verbal
system works in general, and so be able to use other advanced
dictionaries and references more effectively.
We hope you find this book a useful tool in your study of Arabic.

The key to understanding how Arabic grammar works is in its system
of roots. Once you understand how roots work, you can start to identify
which are the root letters of a word and understand the patterns they
produce. You will then be able to form the different structures
following the patterns and use your knowledge to pronounce words
correctly and to guess at the meaning of vocabulary.
We can begin by looking at some English words:
necessary
unnecessary
necessitate
necessarily
necessity
As a speaker of English, you can see that these words are connected in
meaning. You see the combination of letters “necess” and you know
that this word is connected with the meaning of “needing.” You can
recognize the extra letters on the beginning and end of the word as
additional to the meaning: un- meaning “not”; the ending -ity showing
that the word is a noun; -ly that it is an adverb, etc.
Now look at these Arabic words:

Öàc
ÜÉàc
Öàµe
Öàµj
ÖJÉc

(kataba) he wrote
(kitaab) book
(maktab) office
(yaktub) he writes
(kaatib) writer

Can you spot the three Arabic letters that appear in each of the words
on the previous page? You should be able to see that these letters
appear in all the words:
1.

∑

(kaaf)

2.

ä

(taa’)

3.

Ü

(baa’)

(Look at Appendix (i) if you need to remind yourself of the Arabic
alphabet.)
Notice that the letters appear in the same order in all of the words: the
kaaf comes first, then the taa’, and finally the baa’. These three letters,
in this order, are the root.

Ö`à`c
root letter 3

root letter 2

root letter 1

Look back at the previous page again and see if you can spot these
three root letters in all the words. Notice that sometimes there are other
letters as well as the root letters, but the root letters will always appear
in the same sequence.
The root sequence we have looked at (kaaf, taa’, baa’) is connected
with the meaning of “writing.” Whenever you see a word with this
root, it probably has something to do with writing. The root letters
mushroom into many different possible words. For example, when the
root letters are put into a particular pattern with the letter miim (Ω) at the
front, the meaning becomes “a place of writing,” or “a desk/an office”:

Öàµe (maktab)
The vast majority of Arabic words contain three root letters, as in the
example above. Much of Arabic grammar is concerned with
manipulating the three root letters into different patterns. If you look
back at the English words on the first page of this chapter, you will

8

The Arabic root system

see that most of the changes take place at the beginning and the end of
the word, leaving the core untouched. Arabic, on the other hand, adds
letters, or combinations of letters, between the root letters, as well as
on the beginning and end. Look at the word for “book” (kitaab):
additional letter (’alif)

Using a dictionary
It is worth adding a note about how to use an Arabic dictionary. It is
possible to put Arabic in strict alphabetical order as we do in English,
and this is becoming more common in the age of computerized

The Arabic root system

9

alphabetization (see page 124 for the order of the Arabic letters).
However, the most widely used dictionary for learners (A Dictionary of
Modern Written Arabic, Hans Wehr) uses a system based on the root
letters of the word. This means all words with the same root letters are
grouped together. You will need to try and figure out the root letters of
a word before you can look it up in the dictionary. Here is an example,
showing the root Ă&#x2013;Ă c (katab):

basic root

other words from
the same root

10

The Arabic root system

The Arabic–English verb index on pages 128–143 of this book is
arranged in strict alphabetical order. From this you can identify the root
letters for a particular verb, enabling you to look it up in Wehr’s
dictionary, and other similarly arranged references.

Arabic is relatively straightforward when it comes to tenses. Some
languages have many tenses and are very specific about the time of an
action and whether or not the action has been completed. Arabic
grammar is vague about time and there are only two basic tenses:

* For an explanation of masculine and feminine genders, see page 107.
** An extra ’alif (G) is written after the waaw (ƒ) but is silent.

Note that you will not meet or need the feminine plurals as often as the
masculine plurals. This is because you only use the feminine plural if
all the people in a group are female. If the group is mixed male and
female, the masculine is used. Therefore, this form is the most
important to learn and become familiar with in the first place. There
are also different endings for two people (the dual). To make it easier
to absorb the basics first, an explanation of the dual and its associated
verb endings has been separated. Refer to Chapters 17 and 28 for an
explanation of the dual if you need it.

Regular verbs: the basic tenses

15

You do not have to use the personal pronouns (he, she, etc.) before the
verb as you do in English. If you see an Arabic sentence like this:

.É¡n eu ’oC ádÉ°SpQ âÑn àn cn

(She) wrote a letter to her mother.

you can tell it is “she” because of the ending of the verb (katabat). The
sentence could be more specific and say exactly who wrote the letter
(the subject of the verb). Then you would see:

.É¡n eu oC’ ádÉ°SpQ áªWÉa âÑn àn cn

Fatma wrote a letter to her mother.

Notice that in written Arabic the subject (Fatma) usually comes after
the verb (wrote). More explanation of word order can be found in
Chapter 11.

The Present
The present is used for an action (or state) which is still going on
(unfinished). Whereas the past is formed by adding endings to a stem,
the present adds letters on the beginning and end of a different present
stem to show the subject of the verb. Look first at the present verb
below. These letters on the beginning and end are underlined in the
third column. Can you identify the stem that appears throughout?
singular

ÉfnCG

I

Ö
o ào cr nCG

’aktub(u*)

â
n rfnCG

you (masc.)

Ö
o ào rµnJ

taktub(u*)

pârfnCG

you (fem.)

nÚpÑoàrµnJ

taktubiina

ƒn go
»n pg

he/it

Ö
o ào rµjn

yaktub(u*)

she/it

Ö
o ào rµnJ

taktub(u*)

* The final ending (u) on some of the verbs above has been put in
parentheses because it is not usually pronounced.

16

Arabic Verbs

plural

øo ë
r nf

we

rºoàrfnCG

you (masc. pl)

n¿ƒoÑoàrµnJ

øs ào fnCG

you (fem. pl)

øn Ñr ào rµnJ

ºgo

they (masc.)

n¿ƒÑo ào rµjn

øs go

they (fem.)

øn Ñr ào rµjn

naktub(u)

Ö
o ào rµnf

taktubuuna
taktubna
yaktubuuna
yaktubna

If you look at the table, you can see that the present stem — which
appears in all the examples — is Öoàrµ` (ktub): the three root letters k/t/b,
with no vowel after the first letter and a Damma ( `o`` ) after the second.
The different letters added on the beginning and end (prefixes and
suffixes) are arranged around this present stem to show the subject of
the verb. For example:

n¿ƒÑo àro µjn = n¿ho + `Ñàro c + `jn

yaktubuuna

(Read this way.)

= suffix (uuna) + stem (ktub) + prefix (ya)

(they write)

We can apply the same principle to another verb:

Ú
n °ùp ∏p én
r J = øpn j + `°ù∏p L
r + `nJ

tajlisiina
(you [fem.] sit)

=

suffix (iina) +

stem (jlis)

+ prefix (ta)

Regular verbs: the basic tenses

17

The present is used for both continuous and habitual actions or states,
where in English we might use a different tense:

However, the majority of verbs have fatHa as the middle vowel of the
past and, for these verbs, there is no rule to follow in the present. If
you need to know the vowel, you can look in a dictionary where you
will find the middle vowel written after the entry:
root letters
of verb

middle vowel
of present

Remember that in most cases the middle vowel will not affect the
meaning of the text or your understanding of it. Most Arabic is written
without vowels and you will probably learn the more common middle
vowels over time. Don’t worry too much about this aspect. Native
speakers will usually understand you as long as the root letters and the
patterns are correct.

18

Arabic Verbs

The Future
If you want to talk about the future in Arabic, you also use the present
tense. Often the word ±
n ƒr °Sn (sawfa) or the prefix `°Sn (sa) are added to
the front of the verb to indicate the future.

Summary of basic tenses
• There are only two basic tenses in Arabic:
the past
the present
• The past stem is formed from the three root letters with a fatHa
after the first root and a fatHa (or sometimes a kasra) after the
second root letter (katab/sharib). Endings are added to the stem
to show the subject of the verb.
• The present stem is formed from the three root letters with a
vowel after the second (ktub/shrab/jlis). Prefixes, and sometimes
also endings, are added to the stem to show the subject of the verb.
• The future may be made by adding ±
n ƒr °Sn (sawfa) or `°Sn (sa) to
the present.

Waaw (h) and yaa’ (…) are often called weak letters, and the verbs they
contain called weak verbs. These letters do not have a strong sound,
unlike letters such as baa’ (Ü) or kaaf (∑), and often drop out of words
or become vowel sounds when put into the various patterns.
Weak verbs are the largest category of irregular verbs. They can be
subdivided into three types depending on which of the root letters is
affected:
• Verbs with waaw or yaa’ as the first root letter (assimilated verbs)
• Verbs with waaw or yaa’ as the second root letter (hollow verbs)
• Verbs with waaw or yaa’ as the third root letter (defective verbs)

Waaw or yaa’ as first root letter
This is one of the simplest irregular patterns.
• Verbs with yaa’ as the first root letter are rare and almost completely
regular.
• Verbs with waaw as the first root letter are regular in the past
(perfect) tense:

.IôpFÉ£dÉH ƒZÉµ«°T ¤pEG Gƒo∏°U
n hn
They arrived in Chicago by airplane.
In the present, the first root letter almost always drops out
completely:

p jn (yaSil) he arrives (from the root π°Uh)
π°ü
n¿hóo péjn (yajiduuna) they find (from the root óLh)
™°†n
n J (taDa´) she puts (from the root ™°Vh)
Compare this to the regular form of the present Öoàrµnj (yaktub). In the
assimilated verb, the first root letter has disappeared altogether from
the stem, leaving just the second and third root letters (Sil/jid/Da´).
The table below shows more fully the present tense for the verb
p j/
π°ü
n πn °U
n hn (to arrive):

singular
I

p nCG
πo °U

’aSil(u)

â
n rfnCG

you (masc.)

p J
πo °ün

taSil(u)

pârfnCG

you (fem.)

p J
Ú
n p∏°ün

taSiliina

ƒn go
»n pg

he/it

p nj
oπ°ü

yaSil(u)

she/it

p J
oπ°ün

taSil(u)

ÉfnCG

22

Arabic Verbs

plural

p f
πo °ün

øo ë
r nf

we

naSil(u)

ºr ào rfnCG

you (masc. pl)

p J
n¿ƒo∏°ün

taSiluuna

søoàfnCG

you (fem. pl)

taSilna

ºgo

they (masc.)

p J
nør∏°ün
p jn
n¿ƒo∏°ü

øs go

they (fem.)

p jn
øn r∏°ü

yaSilna

yaSiluuna

Waaw or yaa’ as second root letter
This group of verbs contains some of the most commonly used verbs in
the Arabic language. They are called hollow verbs because the second
(middle) root letter is often replaced by a long or short vowel.
Hollow verbs in the past

In the past tense, all hollow verbs have a long aa sound ( É`n` ) instead of
the middle root letter for ƒg (he/it), »g (she/it) and ºg (they):

The other parts of the verb have a short vowel instead of the middle
root letter (see separate chapter for dual verbs). This is usually a
Damma if the middle root letter is a waaw, and a kasra if it is a yaa’:

There are a few hollow verbs that behave in the past like verbs with
yaa’ as the middle root letter, but which actually have waaw in the
middle. One of the most common verbs of this type is “to sleep,” from
the root letters Ωƒf:

.É¡eq GoC ôjô°Sn ‘ â
r eÉf
n
She slept in her mother’s bed.

.ìÉÑn °üdG
n ≈às M
n â
o ªr pf
I slept until morning.
From the table on page 23, you might have noticed that there is a short
vowel in the middle of hollow verbs when there is a sukuun ( r` ) over
the third root letter. This is a general rule for hollow verbs and is worth
remembering as it works for all types, tenses, and forms of hollow
verbs:

• Sukuun over third root letter of regular verb =
short vowel in the middle of irregular hollow verb
• Vowel over third root letter of regular verb =
long vowel in the middle of irregular hollow verb

Hollow verbs in the present

In the present tense, hollow verbs also follow the rules highlighted
above. Since the present tense usually has a vowel after the third root
letter (even if this is not always pronounced), this means that hollow
verbs in this tense are characterized mainly by a long vowel in the
middle. The difference is that, whereas in the past the long vowel in the
middle is always a long aa (kaana), in the present it is a long ii if the
second root letter is a yaa’ and usually a long uu if the second root
letter is a waaw:

ΩÉ
o nænj (yanaam[u]) he sleeps
¿n ƒeÉ
o æn jn (yanaamuuna) they sleep
Here is a complete table and some examples showing the three
different types of hollow verb in the present. Pay the most attention to
learning the first two types. The third type has been included mainly
for recognition. Notice that only the less common feminine plurals
have a sukuun over the third root letter and a short vowel in the middle.
As in the past, this vowel depends on the middle root letter.

Waaw or yaa’ as third root letter
This group of verbs is sometimes called defective verbs. There are three
main types:
• Verbs with waaw as the last root letter.
• Verbs with yaa’ as the last root letter and fatHa as the middle vowel
in the past
• Verbs with yaa’ as the last root letter and kasra as the middle vowel
in the past
In the past tense, the first two types are reasonably regular. Only the parts
of the verb for ƒg (he/it), »g (she/it) and ºg (they) are irregular:
From the root ƒµ°T:
Énµ°Tn (shakaa: “he complained”)
ân
r µ°Tn (shakat: “she complained”)
Gƒnr µ°Tn (shakaw: “they complained”)
From the root »°ûe:
≈°ûn en (mashaa: “he walked”)
â
r °ûn en (mashat: “she walked”)
Gƒr °ûn en (mashaw: “they walked”)
All of the irregular parts of these two types are pronounced the same.
The only difference is the spelling of Éµ°T (shakaa) with a final ’alif,

Verbs with waaw or yaa’ as a root letter 27

and ≈°ûe (mashaa) with a final yaa’ (without the dots). (Look at
Appendix (i) if you want to know more details about this final yaa’
which is pronounced aa and known as ’alif maqsuura.) The differences
between these two types of verbs are more apparent in the regular parts
of the past:

Most defective verbs follow one of the two patterns above. However,
there are some verbs with yaa’ as the last root letter and kasra as the
middle vowel that follow a different pattern. Two common examples
are the verbs »
n °ùnp f (nasiya – to forget) and »n p≤nd (laqiya – to meet).
These verbs have a long ii in many parts of the past tense, e.g. oâ«p°ùnf
(nasiitu) – “I forgot.”
The following table summarizes the past tense for all three main types
of defective verbs:

* Notice that the weak third root letter drops out altogether in these cases.

Verbs with waaw or yaa’ as a root letter 29

Notice that defective verbs in the present tense can usually be spotted
because they have a long vowel instead of the third root letter. In type 1
this is a long uu (yashkuu); in type 2 a long ii (yamshii) and in type 3 a
long aa (yansaa) — but note this is written with ’alif maqsura, see
Appendix (i). Some of the changes that happen are not very logical and
can be difficult to remember. Concentrate on the most common parts
first. Leave the other parts (e.g., feminine plural) until you feel
confident with the basic patterns.

Summary of weak verbs
• Weak verbs are those which have waaw (h) or yaa’ (…) as one
of the root letters.
• There are three types of weak verb:
Verbs with waaw or yaa’ as the first root letter (assimilated verbs)
Verbs with waaw or yaa’ as the second root letter (hollow verbs)
Verbs with waaw or yaa’ as the third root letter (defective verbs)
• Assimilated verbs are mainly regular except the first root letter
almost always drops out in the present tense.
• Hollow verbs have a vowel in the middle instead of the second
root letter. This is a short vowel if the third root letter has a
sukuun ( r` ) over it, and a long vowel if it does not.
• Defective verbs are characterized by a long vowel (aa/uu/ii) or
a diphthong (ay/aw) instead of the third root letter, but do not
always behave predictably. Each pattern should be learned
individually.

5

Irregular verbs:
Doubled verbs

Doubled verbs are those where the third root letter is the same as the
second root letter. They are one of the simplest forms of irregular verbs
to master. The general rule is similar to the rule for hollow verbs and is
dependent on the vowel over the third root letter:
• Sukuun over third root letter of regular verb =
second and third root letters written separately in doubled verb
• Vowel over third root letter of regular verb =
second and third root letters written together in doubled verb
For example, the past tense pattern GƒÑo ànn c (katabuu – they wrote) has the
vowel Damma (`o``) over the third root letter. So, in a doubled verb, the
second and third root letters would be written together with a shadda
(`q``) in this pattern:

Gƒtµ°Tn (shakkuu : “they doubted”) from the root:q∂°Tn
ä
r Os Qn (raddat : “she replied”) from the root: qOQ
However, the past tense pattern ÉnærÑnànc (katabnaa – “we wrote”) has a
sukuun ( r` ) over the third root letter. So in a doubled verb, the second
and third root letters would be written separately in this pattern:

As most parts of the present tense have a vowel after the third root
letter, this means that you will see the root letters in a doubled verb
written together in most cases. In addition, the middle vowel of the
present tense (mostly Damma in doubled verbs) shifts back over the
first root letter:

A final cautionary note about doubled verbs: many spoken dialects
treat these verbs in the past like verbs with yaa’ as the final root
letter (see Defective verbs, Chapter 4). This means that many native
speakers would say ÉærjnOnQ (radaynaa) for “we replied” rather than the
grammatically correct ÉfOr On Qn (radadnaa). In fact, this is also a common
written error among native speakers. This can be confusing to a learner
and is worth a special mention.

Summary of doubled verbs
• Doubled verbs have the same second and third root letter.
• There are simple rules governing the way these verbs behave:
the doubled root letters are written separately if the third root
letter has a sukuun ( `r ) over it, and written together if it does not.

6

Irregular verbs:
Verbs with hamza

The hamza can be an enigmatic letter. The nearest analogy in English
is the apostrophe. In both cases there is uncertainty as to when and
how to use it, even among native speakers. The apostrophe causes more
errors in English than virtually anything else and the hamza probably
has this dubious distinction in Arabic. Whereas in English we ask
ourselves: “Should the apostrophe come before the s or after the s?,”
in Arabic the question becomes: “Which letter should carry the hamza?”
When you review this chapter, it is always worth reminding yourself
that you are not alone in finding the hamza sometimes elusive. Read
the general guidelines but be prepared to refer to the tables regularly.
The hamza itself is considered a consonant, not a vowel, pronounced as
a short glottal stop — see Appendix (i) for more detail on
pronunciation. Many verbs have hamza as one of the root letters. It can
be any of the three root letters and is found in some common verbs.
Like the apostrophe, the rules (such as they exist) for hamza are more
concerned with where to place it than how to pronounce it. Verbs with
hamza as one of the root letters are mainly regular. The changes that
occur are in the letter that carries the hamza.
There are some guidelines for writing hamza. The simplest way to
predict how a particular pattern will be written is to look at the pattern
for regular verbs (see Chapter 2), and then apply the general rules on
the following page. Remember that there are exceptions and
alternatives. For individual verbs, check the tables in this chapter and
in the relevant chapters for derived forms or other patterns.

General rules for verbs with hamza as one of the root letters
• If the hamza is at the beginning of the verb, it is written on an ’alif:
nònNnCG (he took)/ Gƒo∏ncnCG (they ate) )eta yeht( GCncn∏oƒG /)koot eh( GCnNnòn
• If a pattern means you would need to write two ’alifs,
then these are combined as one with a madda sign over it ( BG ),
(I ,”ekat
take), I“(
instead
of òoNrCGnCG– GBNpò
pronounced as a long aa: òoNB:)G GC–nGCrN’aakhudh
oò fo daetsni
hduhkaa‘
• Otherwise, the letter carrying the hamza tends to relate to the
vowel before the hamza:
– Damma before hamza = hamza written on waaw (Dh)
– Kasra before hamza = hamza written on yaa’ without dots (Ç or `Ä`)
– FatHa before hamza = hamza written on ’alif (CG)
• If the hamza has no vowel before it (i.e., the letter before has a
sukuun over it), then the rules above default to the vowel over
nCÉ°ùr jn (he
the hamza itself: ∫)sksa
eh(asks)
jnù°rÉCn∫

.∂ær ÑdG
n ‘ p¬p∏ªn Yn øe ºn pÄ°Sn ¬sfC’...
...because he was fed up with his work in the bank.
Don’t worry if these rules seem complicated. In the basic tenses there
are very few other irregularities, and the majority of patterns are
written with the hamza on an ’alif. If you refer to the tables on page

Irregular verbs: Verbs with hamza

35

35, you will start to get a feel for how to write these verbs.
Look at the general rules on page 34 in conjunction with the later
chapters if you need to find out how the verbs with hamza behave in
the derived forms or other patterns.
Past tense

Remember that in the present tense the middle vowel will vary, as it
does with regular verbs (see page 17). In the case of verbs with hamza
as the second or third root letter, this could affect the spelling, although
a middle fatHa with the hamza carried by an ’alif (CG) is by far the most
common.

Irregular verbs: Verbs with hamza

Summary of verbs with hamza
• Irregularities in these verbs are mainly concerned with the
spelling (which letter carries the hamza).
• There are some general rules which help to determine how the
hamza should be written.
• There are also exceptions and alternatives which need to be
individually absorbed over time.

37

7

Derived forms of verbs:
Introduction

While Arabic is not rich in tenses, it makes up for this with its system
of verb patterns, or forms. All the verbs covered in Chapters 1 to 6
have been the basic, or root, form of the verb. The Arabic language
plays with this root to add subtle variations to the meaning.
If you look at these groups of words in English, you can see they have
different but connected meanings:
liquidate
liquefy
liquidize
validate
value
revalue
By adding different endings and prefixes, the meaning is slightly
changed. For example, as a native speaker you recognize that the prefix
“re-” means “to do something again.”
Arabic takes this principle much further with many different patterns
that add meaning to the original root form. These derived forms are the
major way in which Arabic achieves its richness of vocabulary. Look at
the following examples, all derived from the same root

Irregular verbs in forms II–IV
Verbs that are irregular in the basic form often also show irregularities
in the derived forms. You should still try to apply the same basic rules
for the different types of irregular verb: weak verbs, doubled verbs, and
verbs with hamza as a root letter (see Chapters 4–6). Note that, in
general, if a form requires doubling a root letter or separating root
letters with a long vowel, then a basic verb with a doubled or weak
root letter (waaw or yaa’) will often behave perfectly regularly when
put into these patterns. Here are some notes about how irregular verbs
behave in forms II–IV, followed by a summary table:
Doubled verbs:
• Doubled verbs behave as regular verbs in form II. (Doubling the
middle root letter means that the second and third root letters of a
doubled verb are always written separately.)
• Doubled verbs in forms III and IV follow the same rules as for the
basic doubled verb (see page 30). Form IV doubled verbs are much
more common than form III.
Verbs with hamza as a root letter:
• Verbs with hamza behave roughly as regular verbs, but see rules
about spelling on page 30. Note in particular the rule about writing
two hamzas carried by ’alif together as a madda ( BG ). This rule means
the past tense of forms III and IV starts with this combination when
hamza is the first root letter (see table).
• When hamza is the middle (second) root letter, you may see it by itself
on the line in form III because it follows a long vowel (see page 34).
Weak verbs:
• Verbs with waaw or yaa’ as the first or second root letter (assimilated
and hollow verbs) behave as regular verbs in forms II and III.
• Assimilated verbs in form IV have a long uu vowel at the beginning
of the present tense (see table).
• Hollow verbs in form IV behave as they do in the basic pattern. They
have a short vowel in the middle if the third root letter has a sukuun
over it, but this is the short vowel connected to the derived pattern

Common meaning patterns
1. Form V can be connected to form II in meaning as well as structure.
Form V is often the reflexive of form II. In other words, it has the
meaning of performing an action on yourself:

Irregular verbs in forms V and VI
Because of the close link between forms V–VI and II–III, you will find
that many of the same rules apply to the irregular verbs in both cases.
Doubled verbs:
• Doubled verbs behave as regular verbs in form V (as for form II,
doubling the middle root letter means that the second and third root
letters of a doubled verb are always written separately.)
• Doubled verbs in form VI will follow the same rules as for the basic
doubled verb (see page 30) but are rare and not worth too much
attention.
Verbs with hamza as a root letter:
• Verbs with hamza behave roughly as regular verbs, but see rules
about spelling on page 34. Because past and present verbs in forms V
and VI are nearly always vowelized with fatHas (`n``), you will usually
see the hamza written on an ’alif (CG).
• When hamza is the middle (second) root letter, it can be written by
itself on the line in form VI (as in form III) because it follows a long
vowel (see page 30).
Weak verbs:
• Verbs with waaw or yaa’ as the first or second root letter (assimilated
and hollow verbs) behave as regular verbs in forms V and VI, as they
do in forms II and III.
• Verbs with waaw or yaa’ as the third root (defective) behave
irregularly in both forms. Defective verbs in forms V and VI are
characterized by an ’alif maqsuura at the end of both the past and
present tenses — aa vowel written on a yaa’ without dots, see Appendix
(i). This is the same ending as the ≈°ûe basic group of verbs in the past
tense, but like the ≈°ùæj group in the present tense (see pages 27–28).

p às j/n
òî
n òîs
n JpG (ittakhadha/yattakhidh: “to adopt”) – from the root: òNCG
≥pØsànj/n≥nØsJpG (ittafaqa/yattafiq: “to agree”) – from the root: ≥ah
– When the first root letter is daal (O), dhaal (P) or zaay (R), the taa’
at the beginning of form VIII is replaced by a daal. In the case of
daal and dhaal, this is then usually combined with the first root
letter to produce a double daal:
ºpMOn õr j/
n ºn M
n On rRpG (izdaHama/yazdaHim: “to crowd”) – from the root: ºMR
ôpNós j/ô
n N
n Os pG (iddakhkhara/yaddakhkhir: “to save/store”) – from: ôNP
– When the first root letter is Taa’ (•), Zaa’ (®), Saad (¢U) or Daad
(¢V), the taa’ at the beginning of form VIII is replaced by a Taa’.
In the case of Taa’ and Zaa’, this is then usually combined with the
first root letter to produce a double Taa’:

Common meaning patterns
1. Form VII is relatively uncommon and usually has a passive
meaning:

Öp∏r≤jn (basic verb yaqlib – to overturn/turn [something] over)➙
Öp∏n≤ær jn (form VII verb yanqalib – to be overturned)
ô°ùrn µjn (basic verb yaksar – to break)➙
ô°ùnp µær jn (form VII verb yankasir – to be broken)
2. Form VIII is a common form and is usually intransitive, but there is
no consistent meaning pattern connected with it. These verbs are often
close to the basic root meaning:

Irregular verbs in forms VII–X
Here are some notes about how irregular verbs behave in forms VII–X,
followed by a summary table:
Doubled verbs:
• Doubled verbs in forms VII, VIII, and X follow the same rules as for
the basic doubled verb (see page 30).
Verbs with hamza as a root letter:
• Verbs with hamza are not common in forms VII–X. When they do
occur, they behave roughly as regular verbs, but see rules about
spelling on page 34. Note in particular that form VIII verbs with
hamza as the first letter behave like assimilated verbs (see table).
Weak verbs:
• Assimilated verbs are virtually nonexistent in form VII and regular in
form X. In form VIII, the first letter drops out and is replaced by a
doubling of the taa’.
• Hollow verbs in forms VII–X behave similarly to basic hollow verbs.
They have a long vowel at the end if there is no sukuun over the third
root letter. Notice that this long vowel is usually an aa sound ( Én`` ).
Only in the present tense of form X is it an ii sound ( »`p` ). If the third
root letter has a sukuun over it, the long vowel will become short. For
example, “he resigned” = n∫Én≤nàr°SpG (istaqaala), but “I resigned” = oâr∏n≤nàr°SpG
(istaqaltu).
• Verbs with waaw or yaa’ as the third root (defective) behave
irregularly in forms VII, VIII, and X and have the same endings as the
≈°ûe/»°ûÁ basic group of verbs (see pages 27–28).

The first chapters of this book have covered the essentials of Arabic
verbs — the basic tenses and forms. Before we move on to look at
some of the more detailed aspects of how verbs are used, we need to
recap and expand on how to use verbs in sentences.
Some information on how verbs behave in sentences has already been
presented in the first ten verb chapters. Below is a summary of this
information with important additional notes.
• Arabic verbs change according to the subject (who/what is carrying
out the action):

.ôjRƒ∏n pd ádÉ°SpQ ópdÉN nÖnànc Khalid wrote (kataba) a letter to the minister.
.ôjRƒ∏n pd ádÉ°SpQ áªWÉa â
r Ñn ànn c Fatma wrote (katabat) a letter to the minister.
• If the subject is a mixed group of male and female people, the
masculine is used:

.á°SQn ónr ŸG Gƒo∏N
n On äÉæÑdGh
n O’hCr ’G The boys and girls entered the school.
There are different dual forms for two people or things. These are
covered in Chapter 18 (for verbs) and Chapter 28 (in general).
• Because the prefixes and suffixes (letters on the beginning and end of
the verb) tell you the subject, Arabic does not often use personal
pronouns with verbs (e.g., ÉfCnG – “I,” ƒn g
o – “he,” etc.). If they are used,
it is usually for emphasis after the verb:

• The verb can come before or after the subject. This is largely a matter
of emphasis/level of formality. If a sentence starts with the subject,
you might see the word s¿pEG (’inna) first. This word is added for
emphasis but has no direct translation:

The subject of the first sentence above is masculine plural
(mudarrisuuna – teachers). The first verb (HaDara – attended) is in
the masculine singular because it comes before the subject. The
second verb (ittafaquu – agreed) has the plural ending uu since it
comes after the subject. The same is true of the second sentence,
except that the subject is now feminine plural (banaat – girls) and so
the feminine singular ending at (katabat – wrote) and feminine plural
ending na (kharajna – went out) are used.

These are the basic guidelines for using verbs. You will become more
aware of subtle style differences through reading and absorbing Arabic
that is written in a natural style by native speakers.

12

Verbs in the
subjunctive

In previous chapters, we have seen how different verbs work in the
standard present tense. Now we need to look at some variations that
can occur to the present verb in certain situations. Grammarians often
call these variations “moods of the verb.” The two moods you need to
know in Arabic are the subjunctive and the jussive. Only in the
minority of cases do these moods affect the way a verb is written or
pronounced. However, you do need to know the whole story, otherwise
you cannot understand or work out the changes that occur in this
significant minority of cases.
The individual usages of the subjunctive and jussive listed in the next
two chapters are relatively limited and easy to remember. You will soon
come to connect them with particular words and phrases.

Regular verbs in the subjunctive
In regular verbs, the subjunctive is very similar to the standard present
tense. This is also true of the derived forms.
The most significant change is that when the standard present tense
ends in a nuun (¿), this is dropped in the subjunctive. This affects the
masculine plurals – ºog (hum) and ºoàrfCG (’antum) – and the feminine pârfCG
(’anti) parts of the verb. (The dual is also affected – see Chapter 28).
These changes affect the spelling and pronunciation.
Less significantly, the final (often unpronounced) Damma (`o``) that ends
many parts of the standard present tense (see page 15) changes to a
fatHa (`n``) in the subjunctive. In other words oÖoàrµnj (yaktubu) becomes

nÖoàrµnj (yaktuba). As both these alternatives are usually written without
vowels and pronounced Öoàrµnj (yaktub), you would not normally notice
the change.
The table below shows the standard present tense and the subjunctive
for the regular verb yaktub (to write):
Standard present

Subjunctive

singular
I

Ö
o àro cnCG ’aktub(u)

Ö
n àro cnCG ’aktub(a)

â
n rfnCG
pârfnCG

you (masc.)

Ö
o àro µnJ taktub(u)

Ö
n àro µnJ taktub(a)

you (fem.)

Úp
n Ñàro µnJ taktubiina

ƒn go
»n pg

he/it

Ö
o àro µjn yaktub(u)

Ö
n àro µjn yaktub(a)

she/it

Ö
o àro µnJ taktub(u)

Ö
n àro µnJ taktub(a)

Ö
o àro µnf naktub(u)

Ö
n àro µnf naktub(a)

ÉfCG

»pÑàro µnJ taktubii

plural

øo ë
r nf
rºoàrfnCG

we
you (masc. pl)

n¿ƒoÑoàrµnJ taktubuuna

øs ào fnCG
ºgo

you (fem. pl)

øn Ñr àro µnJ taktubna

øs go

they (masc.)

n¿ƒoÑoàrµnj yaktubuuna

they (fem.)

øn Ñr àro µjn yaktubna

*GƒoÑoàrµnJ

taktubuu

øn Ñr àro µnJ taktubna
*GƒoÑoàrµnj

yaktubuu

øn Ñr àro µjn yaktubna

*Notice that the the masculine plurals have an extra ’alif in the subjunctive. As with
the past tense (see page 14), this ’alif is silent.

Verbs in the subjunctive

67

Irregular verbs in the subjunctive
Irregular verbs do not stray much from the rules for regular verbs in
the subjunctive. There are some minor differences which you may meet
occasionally:
• Weak verbs that end in a long ii ( »`p` ) or uu ( ƒ`o` ) in the standard
present tense, will end in iya ( n»`p` ) or uwa ( nƒ`o` ) in the subjunctive (if
fully pronounced), but those that end in a long aa (≈`n` ) do not
change:
»p¡nàrænj yantahii – to finish – standard present tense ➞
n»p¡nàrænj yantahiya – subjunctive
hóo Ñr jn yabduu – to seem/appear – standard present tense ➞
hn oórÑnj yabduwa – subjunctive
≈°n ùrænj yansaa – to forget – standard present tense ➞
≈°n ùær jn yansaa – subjunctive (no change)

Uses of the subjunctive
The subjunctive is only used when verbs come after particular words
(or “particles” as they are sometimes called). The most common of
these is ¿
r nCG (’an – to). Here is a fuller list, in rough order of frequency:

¿r nCG
(’GnC )
p`d
rønd
≈qànM
r»nµpd

’an
(’allaa
li
lan
Hatta*
likayy

to
not to)
to/in order to
shall/will not (used to make the future negative)
so that
in order to

* Hatta also means “until.” The subjunctive is only used when it means “so that.”

The structure ¿
r nCG (’an) + subjunctive is used frequently in Arabic, often
after verbs where in English we would use the infinitive (e.g., “can’t
run” or “want to vote”).

Summary of the subjunctive
• The subjunctive is a variation (“mood”) of the present tense
used after certain words.
• The most common of these words is r¿nCG (’an – to).
• The subjunctive is very similar to the standard present tense for
both regular and irregular verbs.
• The major difference affecting everyday usage and spelling is
that the nuun (¿) is dropped from the end of the masculine
plurals – GƒoÑoàrµnj (yaktubuu)/GƒoÑoàrµnJ (taktubuu) – and the feminine
“you” – »pÑoàrµnJ (taktubii).

13

Verbs in the jussive
(incl. the imperative)

The jussive is the second variation of the present tense that you need to
know. In many ways it is more important than the subjunctive, partly
because it is more frequently used and partly because it displays more
irregularities.

Regular verbs in the jussive
In regular verbs, the jussive, like the subjunctive, is very similar to the
standard present tense. Again like the subjunctive, the most significant
change in regular verbs is that the nuun (¿) is dropped at the end of the
parts of the verb for masculine plurals “they” rºog (hum) and “you” rºoàrfCnG
(’antum), and the feminine singular “you” pârfCnG (’anti). (The dual is also
affected — see Chapter 28).
The difference in regular verbs between the subjunctive and the jussive
is that the Damma (`o``) that ends many parts of the standard present
tense (see page 15) changes to a sukuun (`r``) in the jussive, rather than
the fatHa (`n``) of the subjunctive. In other words oÖoàrµnj (yaktubu) becomes
rÖoàrµnj (yaktub) in the jussive. Since the standard present tense, the
subjunctive and the jussive are all often written without vowels and
pronounced Öoàµr jn (yaktub), you would not normally notice this change in
regular verbs. (But it does become significant in irregular verbs — see
the section on page 70.)
The table on the next page shows the standard present tense and the
jussive for the regular verb Öoàrµnj yaktub (to write):

*Notice that the the masculine plurals have an extra ’alif in the jussive as they do in
the subjunctive. As with the past tense (see page 14), this ’alif is silent.

Irregular verbs in the jussive
The fact that the jussive ends in a sukuun, although largely
insignificant in regular verbs, does have a big impact on many types of
irregular verbs. Because the jussive replaces the Damma over the third
root letter of many parts of the present tense with a sukuun, this can
fundamentally affect the whole formation of many irregular verbs. The
easiest way to approach this is to take each type of irregular verb in
turn, as follows:

Verbs in the jussive (incl. the imperative)

71

Verbs with waaw or yaa’ as a root letter
• Verbs with waaw or yaa’ as the first root letter (assimilated verbs)
follow the same rules as regular verbs:
πo °p üjn yaSil(u) – he arrives (standard present tense)
πr °p üjn yaSil – he arrives (jussive)
• Verbs with waaw or yaa’ as the second root letter (hollow verbs)
change significantly in the jussive. These changes affect both the
pronunciation and the spelling and so it is important to understand
them. Firstly, remind yourself of the basic rules for hollow verbs
(see pages 22–26 if you need more help):
• Sukuun over third root letter of regular verb =
short vowel in the middle of irregular hollow verb
• Vowel over third root letter of regular verb =
long vowel in the middle of irregular hollow verb

You know that a hollow verb in the standard present tense usually has
a long vowel in the middle because the third root letter has a vowel
over it — for example, Qo hõo jn (yazuur(u) – he visits). In the jussive,
however, the third root letter has a sukuun over it, and this means that
a hollow verb will have a short vowel in the middle: Qr õo jn (yazur). Look
at the table below showing how this rule applies to the other parts of
the verb Qhõj . You could try covering the right-hand column and
predicting the jussive by looking at the rules above.
Standard present

Jussive

singular
I

oQhoRnCG ’azuur(u)

rQoRnCG ’azur

â
n rfnCG

you (masc.)

Qh
o õno J tazuur(u)

Qr õno J tazur

pârfnCG

you (fem.)

nøjpQhoõnJ tazuuriina

…pQhoõnJ tazurii

ƒn go
»n pg

he/it

Qh
o õo jn yazuur(u)

Qr õo jn yazur

she/it

oQhoõnJ tazuur(u)

rQoõnJ tazur

ÉfCG

72

Arabic Verbs

Standard present

Jussive

plural

øo ë
r nf

we

ºr ào rfnCG
øs ào fnCG

you (masc. pl)
you (fem. pl)

ºgo

they (masc.)

øs go

they (fem.)

Qh
o õno f nazuur(u)

Qr õno f nazur

n¿hQh
o õno J tazuuruuna

GhQh
o õno J tazuuruu

n¿Qr õno J tazurna

n¿Qr õno J tazurna

n¿hQh
o õo jn yazuuruuna

GhQh
o õo jn yazuuruu

n¿Qr õo jn yazurna

n¿Qr õo jn yazurna

Notice that the feminine plurals are the only parts of the present tense
that remain the same in the jussive. You can apply the pattern above
to all hollow verbs, except that the short vowel will be fatHa (n``) if
there is a long aa (Én``) in the standard present tense and kasra (p``) if
there is a long ii (»p``):
™o «pÑjn yabii´(u) – to sell – standard present tense ➞
™r pÑjn yabi´ – jussive
oΩÉnænj yanaam(u) – to sleep – standard present tense ➞
ºr æn jn yanam – jussive
oójpôoj yuriid(u) – to want – standard present tense ➞
rOpôoj yurid – jussive

• Verbs with waaw or yaa’ as the third root letter (defective verbs) also
change significantly in the jussive. These verbs often have a long
vowel at the end of the standard present tense (see pages 28–29).
This changes to a short vowel in the jussive. Defective verbs in the
jussive can be awkward to spot since they often look as if they only
have two root letters, especially if you see them without vowels.
Look at the standard present tense and the jussive for the verb »p°ûrªnj
(yamshii – to walk):

Doubled verbs
• The rule affecting whether the identical root letters are written
separately or together in a doubled verb is connected with the vowel

74

Arabic Verbs

over the third root letter in a regular verb. Remind yourself of the rule
(see also Chapter 5):
• Sukuun over third root letter of regular verb =
second and third root letters written separately in doubled verb
• Vowel over third root letter of regular verb =
second and third root letters written together in doubled verb
The sukuun that characterizes much of the jussive means that the
second and third root letters are written separately more often than in
the standard present tense. Try covering the right-hand column of the
table below and predicting the jussive for the doubled verb qOoônj
(yarudd – to reply), applying the rules above.
Standard present

Jussive

singular

ÉfnCG

I

Ot Qo nCG ’arudd(u)

Or Oo Qr nCG ’ardud

â
n rfnCG

you (masc.)

Ot ôno J tarudd(u)

Or Oo ônr J tardud

pârfnCG

you (fem.)

øj
n Ou ôno J taruddiina

…Ou ôno J taruddii

ƒn go
»n pg

he/it

Ot ôo jn yarudd(u)

Or Oo ôr jn yardud

she/it

Ot ôno J tarudd(u)

Or Oo ônr J tardud

tOoônf narudd(u)

rOoOrônf nardud
GhOt ôno J tarudduu

plural

oørënf
ºr ào rfnCG

we
you (masc. pl)

n¿hOt ôno J tarudduuna

søoàfnCG
ºgo

you (fem. pl)

n¿rOoOrônJ tardudna

they (masc.)

n¿hOt ôo jn yarudduuna

they (fem.)

n¿rOoOrônj yardudna

søgo

n¿rOoOrônJ tardudna
GhOt ôo jn yarudduu
n¿rOoOrônj yardudna

Verbs in the jussive (incl. the imperative)

75

Verbs with hamza as a root letter
• These verbs do not vary from regular verbs in the jussive. However,
you should be aware of an alternative for the commonly used verb
∫CnÉr°ùnj (yas’al – to ask):
∫o nCÉ°r ùjn yas’al(u) – to ask – standard present tense ➞
r∫nCÉ°r ùnj yas’al or rπ°n ùnj yasal – jussive

Uses of the jussive
The jussive has three main uses in modern Arabic.
Negative commands
The jussive is used after ’ (laa) to mean “don’t” as an order or
command:

The imperative
The jussive is also used as a base for forming the imperative, or
commands. There are two basic categories and almost all Arabic verbs
follow the rules for the appropriate category.
Verbs with sukuun over the first root letter
If a verb has a sukuun over the first root letter in the jussive, the letters
at the beginning (prefix) are taken off and replaced by an ’alif:

Ö
r àro µnJ✗
Ö
r àro cGo

(jussive – “you write”)

(imperative – “Write!”)

In a basic (form I) verb, the ’alif on the front of the imperative will
have a Damma if the middle vowel of the present is also a Damma, and
a kasra if the middle vowel is either a fatHa or a kasra:
rÜnô°r ûnJ tashrab – you drink (jussive) ➞
Ü
r ôn °r TpG ishrab – Drink! (imperative)
GƒÑo o∏£r nJ taTlubuu – you [plural] request (jussive) ➞
GƒÑo o∏Wr oG uTlubuu – Request! (imperative)
»Ñgn rònJ tadhhabii – you [fem.] go (jussive) ➞
»Ñgn rPpG idhhabii – Go! (imperative)

Summary of the jussive
• The jussive is a variation (“mood”) of the present tense used
after certain words.
• The most common of these words are ’ (laa) to mean “don’t” as
an order, and rºnd (lam) to make the past tense negative (“didn’t”).
• The jussive is very similar to the subjunctive. The difference is
that there is a sukuun over the final root letter: rÖoàrµnj (yaktub),
rather than a fatHa as in the subjunctive.
• The sukuun of the jussive changes the way many irregular verbs
are written and pronounced. These need to be studied
individually.
• The imperative (for command or requests) is also formed from
the jussive by removing the initial prefix. If this leaves a sukuun
over the first letter, an ’alif is added at the beginning.

14

Making verbs
negative

This chapter contains a summary of how to make verbs negative. Some
of these have been mentioned in previous chapters, but this summary
will be a useful reference.
In English, we usually make verbs negative by adding the word “not,”
by itself or with another small helping word such as “do,” “did,” etc:
I walked ➞ I did not walk.
I am going ➞ I am not going.
I will find ➞ I will not find.
I like ➞ I do not like.
In Arabic, there are different ways of making a verb negative for
different tenses. You need to remember each individually.

Present tense
This is the simplest negative to form. You add the word ’ (laa) in front
of the standard present verb:

Past tense
The negative of the past tense is formed with rºnd (lam) + jussive:

Ö
r àro µnJ ºnr d
ºnr d

+

(You) did not write.

jussive
(taktub)

(See Chapter 13 for more details on the jussive.)
There is an alternative of the negative past tense formed by simply
adding the word Ée (maa) in front of the standard past: nârÑnànc Ée (maa
katabta). This is less common in modern written Arabic but is
widespread in spoken dialects.

Future
The negative of the future is formed as follows:

Ö
n àro µnJ ønr d
ønr d

+

(You) will not write.

subjunctive
(taktub[a])

(See Chapter 12 for more details on the subjunctive.)

Making verbs negative

81

Imperative (commands)
This is formed by using ’ followed by the jussive:

Ö
r àro µnJ ’
’

+

(Do not write!)

jussive
(taktub)

Be careful not to confuse this with the negative of the present tense.
Without the vowels, there will not always be a difference in the spelling,
but the context should tell you whether it is a command or not.
Here are some examples of the different negatives:

Irregular verbs in the passive
Irregular verbs follow the same basic vowelizing as for regular verbs in
the passive, with some variations to fit in with the different patterns.
Look at this table and the examples that follow:

Note:
• The middle vowel of the passive reappears on a doubled verb if the
second and third root letters are written separately, e.g. oärOpóoY (´udidtu–
I was counted/considered).
• When hamza is a root, the letter that carries the hamza can change in
the passive as the vowels have changed (see page 34).
• Assimilated verbs have a long uu (ƒo``) sound at the beginning of the
present passive.
• All hollow and weak verbs follow the same pattern in the passive, no
matter what group they fall into.

Derived forms in the passive
The derived forms are very similar to the basic verb in the passive,
with all tenses vowelized initially with a Damma. Like the basic
verb, the second root letter carries a kasra in the past passive and a
fatHa in the present passive in all the derived forms. Around these
vowels, there are some minor variations as shown below:
Past passive

The first fifteen chapters of this book cover the main tenses, variations
and derivations of Arabic verbs. This chapter covers verbal nouns and
other constructions that are derived from verbs. These follow more or
less predictable patterns. Connecting these patterns with a particular
type of construction and meaning will help you to further expand your
vocabulary and understand the structure of Arabic.

Verbal nouns
In English we make nouns from verbs by adding endings such as
“-tion,” “-ment,” or “-ing” (e.g., “information,” “treatment, ”
“swimming,” etc.). Arabic puts the root letters into different patterns to
make verbal nouns. These are widely used and you should try to
remember the main patterns and uses.
Nouns from basic verbs
Unfortunately as far as the learner is concerned, basic verbs have many
different patterns for forming verbal nouns. Here are some of the more
common patterns with examples:
Pattern

However, there are many more patterns for basic verbs, and you will
need to look each one up individually in a dictionary. The verbal noun
is usually listed together with the verb.
Because of the numerous variations in the way verbal nouns are
formed, it is also difficult to generalize about irregular verbs. Some
types of irregular verb will behave regularly in some patterns and
irregularly in others. Only by looking up and remembering each verbal
noun individually will you start to get a feel for how irregular verbs
behave and start to take guesses at the likely patterns.
Verbal nouns from derived forms
Verbal nouns from derived forms are much more predictable. Only
form III has a widely used alternative. Generally, if you know which
derived form a verb is, you will be able to create the verbal noun
without reference to a dictionary. The table below shows the verbal
noun for the derived forms:
Present verb

.Qƒ¡ªor ÷G ¿É°ùë
r pà°Sr pG GƒdÉæjo r¿nCG n¿ƒdphÉëjo n¿ƒfÉæns ØdG
Artists try to gain the admiration of the public.
• In place of r¿nCG (’an) + subjunctive
Arabic does not have an infinitive like the English “to walk,” “to see,”
etc. Chapter 12 shows how r¿nCG (’an) + subjunctive can be used in Arabic
where English would use an infinitive. Another common alternative is
to use the verbal noun. Look at these two sentences, which have the
same meaning. The first uses r¿nCG (’an) + subjunctive (nÖngrPnCG) and the
second a verbal noun with al (ÜÉgnòdG):

.¥ƒ°ùdG
t ≈ndEG Ö
n grn PCG r¿nCG Oq hn nCG
.¥ƒ°ùdG
t ≈ndGE ÜÉgnòdG Oq hn nCG
I’d like to go to the market.
It is considered good style to use verbal nouns in this way and is often
less clumsy than using a repeating r¿nCG. Look at the sentences below and
also watch for this usage in authentic Arabic.

Active and passive participles
An active participle is the equivalent of the English “-ing,” as in “I
went along the road, whistling a tune.”(i.e., I was whistling.) A passive
participle is the equivalent of the English “burned” as in “I found the
cakes in the oven, burned to a cinder.” (i.e., The cakes had been
burned.) These can also be used as adjectives to describe something: “a
whistling machine,” “burnt toast,” etc. In Arabic, the active and passive
participles are also used to mean “the person/thing that [whistles]” and
“the person/thing that is [burned].”
Basic verbs
The active participle is formed by taking the root letters and putting
them into the pattern πpYÉa (faa´il):

Qƒ°ùro µen (maksuur) [thing] broken
Don’t forget that the examples above only refer to one masculine
person or object. If you want to refer to a female or a group, you will
need to add the appropriate ending; for example, áÑpJÉc (kaatiba) would
be a female writer and ¿ƒÑpY’ (laa´ibuun) would be a group of players.
See Chapters 21 and 22 for more detail on these endings.
Irregular verbs show some variations when put into the patterns for the
active and passive participles:
Doubled verbs
active participle
passive participle
Verbs with hamza
as 1st root letter:
active participle
passive participle
as 2nd root letter:
active participle
passive participle
as 3nd root letter:
active participle
passive participle
Weak verbs
assimilated (1st root):
active participle
passive participle
hollow (2nd root):
active participle
passive participle
defective (3rd root):
active participle
passive participle

* Alternatives are given for verbs with waaw as the weak root letter.
** Pronounced qaaDin. A yaa’ reappears in the definite: »°pVÉ≤dG (al-qaaDii)

92

Arabic Verbs

Active and passive participles in the derived forms
Active and passive participles in the derived forms are similar across
all the forms and also very similar to each other. All the active and
passive participles for derived forms begin with the prefix `oe (mu).
After that, the vowelizing of the active participle is the same as the
present tense, with the kasra under the second root letter changing to a
fatHa for the passive participle. This means that the only thing that
separates the active participle ¢ûuàØn eo (mufattish – inspector) from the
passive particle ¢ûsànØeo (mufattash – inspected) is a single vowel.
Because of this, you may find this vowel included for clarity, even on
texts that are otherwise not vowelized.
Active participle

Arabic distinguishes between two things or people (the dual) and more
than two (the plural). Chapter 28 gives a more detailed overview of the
dual, but this chapter specifically looks at the dual verb endings.
The dual verb endings have been deliberately separated so that you can
tackle them only when you are confident with other aspects and types
of the verb.
There are three different dual endings for the following:
Éªoàfr nCG (’antumaa: you two – both masculine and feminine)
Éªog (humaa: they two – masculine*)
Éªog (humaa: they two – feminine*)
*Note that although the word for the dual “they” is Éªog (humaa) for both masculine
and feminine, the verb endings are different.

Here are the dual endings for the verb nÖnànc/Öoàrµnj (to write):

Éªàro fnCG

Past

Present

Subjunctive* Jussive*

Éªào Ñr ànn c

p¿ÉÑàro µnJ

ÉÑàro µnJ

(katabtumaa) (taktubaani) (taktubaa)

Éªgo (masc.) ÉÑànn c
(katabaa)

Éªgo (fem.) ÉàÑn ànn c
(katabataa)

p¿ÉÑàro µjn

ÉÑàro µjn

ÉÑàro µnJ
(taktubaa)

ÉÑàro µjn

(yaktubaani) (yaktubaa)

(yaktubaa)

p¿ÉÑàro µnJ

ÉÑàro µnJ

ÉÑàro µnJ

(taktubaani) (taktubaa)

(taktubaa)

* Note that the dual loses the final nuun in the subjunctive and jussive as the
masculine plurals do.

Irregular verbs will follow the same rules in the dual as those for other
parts of the verb. Also note that, like the plural, a verb will only be
dual if it comes after the subject; otherwise it will be singular (see page
63 for more details.)

Most Arabic verbs have three root letters, but there are a few that have
four. These verbs are called quadriliteral ( »YÉHoQ ). A few of these verbs
are reasonably common and you will need to recognize them.

Basic quadriliteral verb
A basic quadriliteral verb is vowelized very similarly to form II of a
triliteral verb (verb with three root letters.) The past tense is vowelized
with all fatHas and the present with Damma/fatHa/kasra:
Past tense: nênôrMnO (daHraja) – rolled
Present tense: êpôM
r ón jo (yudaHrij) – rolls
The active and passive participles are also very similar to form II:
Active participle: êpôM
r ón eo (mudaHrij) – rolling
Passive participle: ênôrMnóoe (mudaHraj) – (been) rolled
The most common verbal noun pattern from a basic quadriliteral verb
is áLnôrMnO (daHraja), although some minor variations exist.
Many verbs with four root letters are in fact created by repeating the
same sequence of two letters. This is often used for onomatopoeic
verbs (verbs that sound similar to their meaning:)
ôpKônr ãjo (yutharthir) – to chatter
ôpZônr ¨jo (yugharghir) – to gargle
ºpàrªnàoj (yutamtim) – to mutter
¿pórfón jo (yudandin) – to hum

A few verbs have particular oddities, usually because of multiple
combinations of irregular features. The most important of these are
listed below. Since they are some of the most common verbs in the
Arabic language, you will need to try and memorize them individually.

A»éj/AÉL (to come)
This verb represents the most common group of very irregular verbs:
hollow verbs that also have hamza as the last root letter. Both the rules
applying to hollow verbs and the rules for the spelling of hamza apply
to these verbs, causing multiple changes.
singular

iôj/inCGQ (to see)
This verb has the root letters Q (raa’) + A (hamza) + … (yaa’). It acts
relatively normally in the past, but drops the hamza altogether in the
present. Pay particular attention to the jussive. The yaa’ also gets
dropped, which makes for a very short verb!

n¢ùr«nd (not to be)
Arabic does not have a verb “to be” (is/are/am, etc.) in simple positive
sentences (see Chapter 23 for more details.) However, it does have a
verb “not to be.” The sentence:
.Ö«Ñ n£ ÊÉg Haanii (is) a doctor.
can be made negative by adding n¢ùr«nd or `p H…n¢ùr«nd:

`dnG al (definite article)
Arabic does not have an equivalent of the English “a/an” (indefinite
article) as in “a book/an apple.” The word is simply written by itself:

ÜÉàpc (kitaab) a book
âæpr H (bint) a girl
¢SQu ón eo (mudarris) a teacher
However, there is an equivalent of “the” (definite article): `dnG (al). This
is joined to the beginning of the word, rather than written separately.
ÜÉàpµrdnG (al-kitaab) the book
âæpr ÑrdnG (al-bint) the girl
¢SQu ón ªro dnG (al-mudarris) the teacher

The fatHa (a) is dropped from al when the previous word ends in a
vowel:

.ÜÉàµrp dG ón L
n hn (wajada l-kitaab) He found the book.
âræpÑrdG p√pòg (haadhihi l-bint) this girl
Sometimes, the lam (∫) of the word `dnG is pronounced the same as the
first letter of the word that follows:
IQÉq«°ùdn
s G (as-sayyara) the car
πoLsôdnG (ar-rajul) the man
áMÉqØàdn
t G (at-tuffaHa) the apple

Notice how the first letter of the word now has a shadda (`q``) over it to
show that it is doubled. There are fourteen letters in Arabic that cause
al to change. These letters are called “sun letters” ( áq«°pùªr °sûdG ±hôo◊G), and
you can find a full list of them in Appendix (i). Pronouncing these
correctly is something that will take experience and time but will
eventually become automatic.

Personal pronouns
Personal pronouns are the equivalent of the English “I/we/you/she/he,”
etc. These are:
singular
ÉfCG (’ana) I

ºr àro fnCG (’antum) you [pl. masculine]
søoàfnCG (’antunna) you [pl. feminine]
ºgo (hum) they [masculine]
søog (hunna) they [feminine]
(The next chapter explains more about feminine and masculine.)

Note that Arabic also has different pronouns for “you” and “they”
when talking about two people (the dual). See Chapter 28 for details
on these.

21

Genders

Arabic, like many other languages, makes a difference between male
and female nouns (people, objects, ideas, etc.) It has two genders:
masculine (male) and feminine (female). The gender of a noun will
affect other words in a sentence, such as verbs, adjectives, etc., so you
need to be confident in this aspect of the grammar.
Luckily, unlike many other languages, it is usually easy to tell the
difference between masculine and feminine nouns in Arabic. There are
only a few exceptions to the general rules.
There are two main categories of feminine words:
Words that refer to females — e.g.,:

âæpr H (bint) girl
Ωq oCG (’umm) mother
≈n∏«nr d (layla) Layla (or any other girl’s name)
Note that most countries are also regarded as feminine.
Words that end in I (taa’ marbuuTa):
There is a special feminine ending that is a cross between ä (taa’) and
√ (ha’): I. This is called taa’ marbuuTa. The vowel before a taa’
marbuuTa is always a fatHa. Words that end with taa’ marbuuTa are
almost always feminine.

Usually, the taa’ marbuuTa is not pronounced — only the fatHa that
comes before it.
There are many feminine words that fit into both of the categories
above, ending in taa’ marbuuTa and referring to female people:

áLhr nR (zawja) wife
á°Vôu ªn eo (mumariDDa) [female] nurse
ádÉN (khaala) [maternal] aunt
There are also a few feminine words that do not fit into either category.
Most of these are parts of the body or are connected with the natural
world. Here are some examples of these.

¢ùrª°Tn (shams) sun
ójn (yad) hand
¢VrQnCG (’arD) earth
πLp
r Q (rijl) foot
In general, however, you can assume a word is masculine unless it
refers to a female or ends in taa’ marbuuTa.

22

Sentences without
verbs

In Arabic, the verb “to be” (e.g., I am, you are, he is, etc.) is omitted in
simple present sentences. This means that in Arabic, unlike in English,
you can have a sentence with no verb at all:

.ÜÉàpc Gòg (haadhaa kitaab) This (is) a book.
...ÜÉàpµdG Gòg (haadhaa l-kitaab) This book...
The first is a sentence, the second is not. You need to add the
appropriate pronoun, in this case ƒg (huwa), if you want to say the
sentence “This is the book.”:

.ÜÉàpµdG ƒn go Gòg (haadhaa huwa l-kitaab) This (is) the book.
.á∏pµ°ûor ŸG n»pg p√pòg (haadhihi hiya l-mushkila) This (is) the problem.
You should include the appropriate form of the verb ¿ƒµnj (yakuun) if a
sentence requires you to use the subjunctive, jussive, or imperative (see
Chapters 12 and 13 for when these are used):

If you want to make a nominal sentence negative, you need to use the
special verb n¢ùr«nd (see page 101).

23

Describing
things

Adjectives are the words you use to describe something, such as the
English “happy,” “heavy,” “red,” “busy,” etc. In English, adjectives
come before the person or thing described (the noun) and do not
change depending on whether the noun is singular or plural, etc.:
a happy baby
happy babies
a red light
red lights
In Arabic, adjectives come after the noun and change depending on
whether the noun is singular or plural, masculine or feminine.

Masculine and feminine adjectives
If the noun described is feminine, then the adjective is also feminine.
(If you are unsure about masculine and feminine nouns, then review
Chapter 21.) This usually means adding the feminine ending
I (taa’ marbuuTa) to the adjective:

∫ƒ¨°ûnr ŸG ¢SQu óon ŸG the busy teacher
π«≤nãdG ÜÉàpµdG the heavy book
á∏«≤nãdG áÑ«≤n◊G the heavy bag
There are a few adjectives to which you cannot add taa’ marbuuTa to
make the feminine. They have different feminine forms. The most
important of these are the adjectives describing the primary colors:
Color

Masculine

Feminine

red

ôªn M
r nCG (’aHmar)

AGôªr M
n (Hamraa’)

blue

¥Qn rRnCG (’azraq)

AÉbQr nR (zarqaa’)

yellow

ônØ°U
r nCG (’aSfar)

AGôrØ°U
n (Safraa’)

black

Oƒn °Sr nCG (’aswad)

AGOƒr °Sn (sawdaa’)

white

¢†n«rHnCG (’abyaD)

AÉ°†r«nH (bayDaa’)

green

ô°†
n N
r nCG (’akhDar)

AGô°†
r N
n (khaDraa’)

Adjectives with plurals
Adjectives also have a different plural form, but it is very important to
remember that these will only be used with people. Nonhumans
(things, ideas, etc.) use feminine singular adjectives.
Many adjectives begin with `oe (mu) and are participles of the derived
forms of the verb (see Chapter 16). These can be made plural by
adding n¿ƒo`` (uuna) for males and äÉ` (aat) for females, but others have
their own particular plurals. It is best to check in a dictionary, which
will give the plural after the adjective. Here are some examples of
adjectives used with humans and nonhuman plurals so that you can
compare them. For a more complete overview of the plural in general,
see Chapter 25.

Ò°ünb (qaSiir) short ➞ ô°ür
n bnCG (’aqSar) shorter
∞«£nd (laTiif) gentle ➞ ∞ n£rdnCG (’alTaf) gentler
If an adjective has a doubled root, they are written together. If it ends
in a h (waaw) or a … (yaa’), this becomes an ’alif maqSuura (yaa’ with
no dots pronounced aa):
ójónL (jadiid) new ➞ qónLnCG (’ajadd) newer

»q pcnP (dhakiiy) clever ➞ ≈ncrPnCG (’adhkaa) cleverer
The equivalent of the English “than,” as in “better than,” is the Arabic
word røpe (min). You will most often find the comparative used in this

114

Arabic Essentials of Grammar

way. It does not change depending on whether the word it is describing
is masculine or feminine:
.»àN
r oCG øpe ô°ürbnCG »NnCG My brother is shorter than my sister.

.´ôn °Sr nC’G ƒn go ÊhÎµnd’pE G ójÈdG Electronic mail [it] is the fastest.
Comparatives with longer adjectives
In English, when we have a long adjective we want to make
comparative, we use the word “more” (or “less”), rather than putting
“-er” on the end: “more comfortable/more suitable/less adaptable.”
Arabic is similar. The word ônãrcCG (’akthar – “more”) or
qπnbnCG (’aqall – “less”) is added in front of the noun to make the
comparative:

In English, plurals are words referring to more than one thing and are
generally formed by adding the letter -s: books, ideas, letters, etc.
There are some words to which you have to add -es – boxes, churches
– and a few isolated irregularities, such as “man” becoming “men.”
In Arabic, plurals refer to more than two things. The dual form is used
for two (see Chapter 28.) In addition, most plurals are more like the
English “man/men” example than a case of simply adding letters on
the end of a word.
Plurals are one of the few genuinely complicated areas of basic Arabic
grammar. This chapter will give you the essentials, but be prepared to
learn each plural individually with the singular.

Forming plurals
Learning how to form the plural for Arabic words is a long and
sometimes frustrating business. However, if you persevere, you will
eventually learn most of the common plurals and acquire an instinct for
the others.
Sound plurals
All plurals are classified as either sound or broken. Sound plurals are
the simplest to learn but have limitations in how widely they are used.
There are two sound plurals:
Masculine: formed by adding n¿ho`` (-uuna*) on the end of the singular
and used mainly (but not exclusively) for male professions:
¢SQu ón eo (mudarris) teacher ➞ n¿ƒ°So Qu ón eo (mudarrisuuna) teachers

Feminine: formed by adding äÉn`` (-aat) on the end of the singular. If the
word ends in a taa’ marbuuTa (I), this must be removed first. Like its
masculine equivalent, the sound feminine plural is used for professions
but is also used for a number of other words, especially verbal nouns
from the derived forms (see Chapter 16.)
á°SQu ón eo (mudarrisa) teacher [fem.] ➞ äÉ°SQu ón eo (mudarrisaat) teachers

´ÉªpàL
r pG (ijtimaa´) meeting ➞ äÉYÉª
n pàL
r pG (ijtimaa´aat) meetings
ìÓ°U
r pG (iSlaaH) reform ➞ äÉMÓ°U
r pG (iSlaaHaat) reforms
Broken plurals
The majority of plurals are broken plurals, so called because the
singular is broken apart and different long and short vowels are
arranged around the root letters. Look at this example of how the plural
of the word óndhn (walad – boy) is formed:
singular:

You will have to look in a dictionary to find which pattern to use for an
individual word. The plural will be given after the singular.

Human and nonhuman plurals
Arabic grammar has two different categories of plural: human (e.g. “men,”
“nurses,” etc.) and nonhuman (e.g., “books,” “negotiations,” etc.). This
distinction is very important to remember. The masculine and feminine
plural forms of verbs, adjectives, etc. are only used with human plural
nouns. Nonhuman plurals are regarded as feminine singular. So, for
example, the plural Öoàco (kutub – books) would be referred to as »
n gp (hiya –
she) and not ºog (hum – they), and would be described as IójónL (jadiida –
new [fem. singular]) and not óoóL
o (judud – new [masc. plural]):

.Iójón÷G Öàoo µdG »n pg p√pòg These are the new books.
.¢ùreGnC äÉ°ûnbÉæoŸG ân¡nàrfpG The discussions ended (intahat – fem. sing.) yesterday.
You need to etch this concept into your brain. Look back at the verb
chapters and remind yourself of the feminine singular verbs. You could
practice by forming a few sentences using nonhuman plurals.

26

Describing
possession

áaÉ°VEG (‘iDaafa)
In English, we have two main ways of describing possession – using
the word “of,” or the possessive “ -’s ”:
the client’s office
the office of the client
The most common way of describing possession in Arabic is closer to
the second example above, in that the word for “office” would come
first followed by the word for “client.” The difference is that the two
words are put directly together (the meaning “of” is understood) and
only the last word can have the article `dG (al):

The taa’ marbuuTa on the end of most feminine nouns is pronounced
when the word is the first in the ’iDaafa:
¿óo æor d áæjóen (madiinat lundun) the city of London

Possessive (attached) pronouns
Possessive pronouns are the equivalent of the English “my,” “his,”
“ours,” etc. In Arabic they are joined to the end of the word and are
also known as attached pronouns:
ÉæÑnàrµne (maktabnaa) our office
»pà«r Hn (baytii) my house
Here is a table of the possessive pronouns with the example showing
the ending on the word â«nH (bayt – house):

Possessive ending

Example

I

»`p (ii)**

»à«r Hn

(baytii)

nârfnCG
pârfnCG

you (masc.)

n∂` (ka)

n∂oàr«nH

(bayt[u*]ka)

you (fem.)

p∂` (ki)

p∂ào «r Hn

(bayt[u]ki)

ƒn go
»n pg

he/it

¬o `n (hu)

¬o à«r Hn

(bayt[u]hu)

she/it

É¡n `n (haa)

É¡ào «r Hn

(bayt[u]haa)

øo ë
r nf

we

Éæn ` (naa)

Éæào «r Hn

(bayt[u]naa)

rºoàrfnCG

you (masc. pl.)

rºoµ` (kum)

rºoµoàr«nH

(bayt[u]kum)

øs ào rfnCG

you (fem. pl.)

øs oµ` (kunna)

øs oµào «r Hn

(bayt[u]kunna)

ºr go

they (masc. pl.)

ºr ¡o ` (hum)

ºr ¡o ào «r Hn

(bayt[u]hum)

øs go

they (fem. pl.)

øs ¡o ` (hunna)

øs ¡o ào «r Hn

(bayt[u]hunna)

ÉfnCG

Describing possession

121

Notes to the table:
* The additional Damma (`o` [u]) is the nominative case ending, which can change to
fatHa or kasra – see Appendix (ii). Note that the endings ¬o ` (hu) and rº`¡
o (hum) become
¬p ` (hi) and º`p¡ (him) if this additional vowel is a kasra: p¬pà«r Hn (baytihi), ºr p¡pà«r Hn
(baytihim).
** The ii ending changes to ya if the word finishes in a long vowel: »
s ep Éëoe
(muHaamiiya – my attorney).

Attached pronouns can also be used with verbs, prepositions, and words
such as s¿CG (’anna – that).
Attached pronouns with verbs
You can add the pronouns in the table opposite to verbs, except that the
ending »p` (ii) changes to Êp (nii). The other endings are the same:

Questions
Questions are straightforward in Arabic. There is no special form of the
verb used with questions. Simple questions can be formed by adding a
question mark to the end of a sentence or by putting the word rπng (hal),
or less commonly nCG (’a), in front of it:

.ÜÉàpc Gòg This is a book.
?ÜÉàpc GògGnC /?ÜÉàpc Gòg πr gn Is this a book?
Other questions are formed by using the appropriate question word:

Arabic has a separate form for talking about two things: the dual form.
This is less common than the singular (one thing) or the plural (three
or more things), and for this reason it has been separated from the main
chapters. Having said that, you will come across the dual sometimes
and may have to use it occasionally, so you need to know the basics of
how it works.
The dual in general is characterized by a long aa. Look at the dual
words for “you” and “they:”

Éªàro fnCG (’antumaa) you two [masculine and feminine ]
Éªog (humaa) they two [masculine and feminine ]
If you want to refer to two people or things (nouns), you add the dual
ending p¿É` (aani). (This ending changes to pÚ`n` (-ayni) in the accusative
and genitive case — see Appendix (ii).) If the nouns end with taa’
marbuuTa, this is fully pronounced when you add the ending:

ÜÉàpc (kitaab) book ➞ p¿ÉHÉàpc (kitaabaani) two books
áæjóen (madiina) city ➞ p¿Éàæjóen (madiinataani) two cities
The dual ending is also added to adjectives:
.p¿’ƒ¨°ûr en Éªgo They (two) are busy.

p °V
.≈nØ°ûr àn °ùor ŸG ‘ p¿ÉJójóL
n ¿Éà
n ôu ªn eo ∑Éæ
n go
There are two new nurses in the hospital.
There are also special verb endings for the dual. You can find these in
Chapter 17.

Appendix (i)
Arabic alphabet and pronunciation
Here are the Arabic letters in alphabetical order with the transliteration used in
this book, together with the vowels and dipthongs ([S] = sun letter, see 105–6).
Letters of the alphabet:
G (’alif) used for vowel sounds

¥ (qaaf) q, said from back of throat
∑ (kaaf) k, as in “kate”
∫ (laam) l, as in “letter” [S]
Ω (miim) m, as in “met”
¿ (nuun) n, as in “never” [S]
√ (haa’) h, as in “hand”
h (waaw) w, as in “wand”
… (yaa’) y, as in “yellow”
A (hamza) ’, short pause/stop (1)
short vowels:

```n (fatHa) a, as in “mat”
```o (Damma) u, as in “sugar”
`p`` (kasra) i, as in “bit”
long vowels:
É`n`` aa, as in “far”

(2)

ƒ```o uu, as in “boot”
»`p`` ii, as in “meet”
dipthongs:
ƒ`r ``n aw, as in “how” or “home”

r»`n`` ay, as in “lie”

(1) Note that that there is a special type of hamza found at the beginning of the word al
(“the”) and a few other words. This is called hamza al-waSl (“the joining hamza”). It is
not usually written and the vowel it carries elides when preceded by another vowel:

Appendix (ii)
Grammatical case endings
Many languages — German, for example — have grammatical cases
that affect the noun endings. Arabic has three cases — nominative,
accusative and genitive. However, the case endings are not usually
pronounced in Modern Arabic, nor do they generally affect the
spelling. Situations where you might hear them include high-level
academic discussions (on TV, for example), recitations of the Quran or
other religious and literary texts, or sometimes as a kind of flourish at
the end of a sentence. Most beginning and intermediate learners can
gloss over this aspect of Arabic grammar. However, it is useful to know
that these cases exist and to have some idea of how they work so you
are not thrown when you do meet them.
The following table shows how the three cases work for most nouns in
the definite and indefinite. The underlining shows the case ending. The
ending in bold— the extra accusative ’alif — affects the basic spelling
and you should try to remember this.

indefinite
definite

nominative

accusative

genitive

lâ«H (baytun)
â«ÑdG
(al-baytu)
o

kÉà«H (baytan)
nâ«ÑdG (al-bayta)

mâ«H (baytin)
pâ«ÑdG (al-bayti)

The most important uses of the cases are listed below, but this is just an
indication. For more information, consult a detailed Arabic grammar book.
• nominative: for the subject of a sentence
• accusative: for the object of a verb
• genitive: after prepositions
for the second noun in an ’idafa (see page 119)
There are exceptions to the endings given above. The most common of
these is the sound masculine plural:
nominative
indefinite n¿ƒ°SpQón eo (mudarrisuuna)
definite*

Here are the Arabic numbers, as numerals and spelled out. Arabic numbers
are complex. The most important aspects are noted at the bottom of the page,
but you will need a full grammar book to cover all the idiosyncrasies.

Verb Index:
400 Arabic verbs for easy reference
This two-part Arabic–English and English–Arabic index contains all the
verbs in the book, together with over 200 further high-frequency
Arabic verbs.
Many Arabic references arrange verbs according to root letters and/or
type. However, for many learners identifying the root and the type of verb
can itself be the main difficulty. So the Arabic–English section of this
glossary is presented in strict Arabic alphabetical order (past tense
followed by present). You’ll find the Arabic letters in alphabetical order
on page 124. By using this system of alphabetization, you can look up
an individual verb and find out its root letters, pronunciation, type and
meaning. You can then look up how the verb behaves in the different
tenses by using the references to conjugation tables in the main book.
The English meanings given here are not intended to be comprehensive.
There may be alternative meanings or nuances for a particular verb that
are not possible to include in this type of index. Once you have
established the root letters and type of verb, you can clarify the
meaning in a good dictionary (see pages 8–9).
We have also included below a further table showing where you can
find other verbal formations. For example, once you have established
from the index that the verb ¢SQój
q ,¢SQO
q darrasa, yudarris is Form II
you can then go to the table below and find the page reference for the
formation and use of the passive, subjunctive, jussive (including
imperative), verbal nouns, and participles for this type of verb.
Form I (Basic)